Pianist Albert Luandrew, better known as Sunnyland Slim, mentored quite
a few female vocalists in his time, including Bonnie Lee, Big Time Sarah
and Zora Young. Remembering the man who put her in the spotlight,
Young's newest album is a tribute to the blues legend who gave her a
good start, with help from Barrelhouse Chuck playing
full ten-fingered keyboards in the Sunnyland style.
And the lineup of musicians is
no joke: besides Chuck, there's also Bob Stroger
(bass), Kenny Smith (drums), Steve Freund
(guitar), Sam Burckhardt (tenor sax), and the killer
guitar fills of Hubert Sumlin. And, of course, there's
Young herself, belting it out in that updated Bessie Smith style that
many of the Chicago female blues singers are fond of.

While this album is a rocking good time, there is also a subtle jazz
influence running through the set, with three Zora-less instrumentals,
including "Blues For Hubert," which features no guitar, but does have
Burckhardt's sax playing a minor-key groove straight out of a crime-noir
flick. (As for that title...well, it's "Blues FOR Hubert," not "Blues
WITH Hubert"...)

While Young commands the spotlight, Sumlin manages to get in a couple of
vocal licks himself, including "You Said You Were Leaving," as well as "Looka
Here Baby," which has Young and Sumlin teaming up alone and acoustic.
Well, not entirely acoustic - Sumlin's axe is still plugged in - but you
get the drift. It’s just two
voices supported by a lone guitar, almost sounding like a spontaneous
jam after the session is over.

This is the other side of Chicago blues that unfortunately seems to be
ignored -- the piano-led sound that didn't rely as much on heavy
amplification. This was once a good town for that genre, and
Sunnyland is a nice look back
to that time.